The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1887-10-22
an extra prOoaa,ion no held hls hands


carefully crossed over his breast--a
certain si2n for the pickpocset that
that 2as where his money was secured.
This Is the way he WAS dcspOiled Of IL:
4 long, thin lamp-wick was dextrOu,ly
put down bis back and lighted at an
end left above hi, coat collar. The
mains and HOHHcs awaited results.
When the fire reached his neck he
yelled and hoped about like a mad
man, and the mains kindly rushed 10
his assistance. They found il neces-
sary, Of course, TO strip oil his coat, and
it hardly need be- told that his money
was soon in their possession.
''The Imagination Of pickpockets is
fertile in ingenious stratagems. They
smell out, as il were, the good tricks
10 take, and like 10 operate on large
scale. When a big robbery has been
planned, and the robbers are sure Of "a
li9 stake, every means is put in use 10
obtain it. Their intelligence always
gives birth 10 the shrewdcst combina-
tions. Not long ago wealthy con-
tractor drew sixty-ivc thousand francs
from a bank, put it into a small hand
satchel, and got into carriage To be
driven 10 the Hotel de Vile. The car
riagc had not gone three hundred feet
before the money WAS stolen. The
thing seemed ineXplicable, but it had
been easy enough for the robbers. The
carriage had scarcely left the bank
when several persons rushed into the
street aud picked mp man who was
screaming as if frightfully injured 1t
was supposed that he had been run
over by an omnibus which h.d just
gone by at II rapid pace. In app"ar-
ancc he seemed seriously wounded. IN
reality he was not hurt at all, and just
here was the mystery Of the robbery.
The clever thieves had invented this
scheme To attract attention. and thanks
to ii, success al accomplicc of the
pretended wounded man had stolen
the satchcl from the carriage while the
owner Was leaning ont Of the window
TO see what had happened"
"ln this class of pickpockets YOU
have designated only men; but among
the women you must have found curl
Gus types?'
"Not many. You see them at the
railroad stations, at the boat landings,
at the thcatcrs, on the promcnadcs, in
the museums, and in the large stores.
They attack only women. They arc
intelligent, shrcwd and audacious.
Germany sends Us the greatest number
of female pickpockcts, but they are
not the most adroit. The English
women have carried this kind of rob-
berry almost to the height of an
art. Mancuyering from choice with
the left hand, they always keep
the right hand gloved. Span
ish women are easily recognized.
Small, sprightly, dark skinned, they
slip into the crowds with great vivacity.
If they are warned that detective is
near, they turn to him and try to en-
gage him in conversation, The French
women are skillful, but too much occu-
pied with the practical results of rob-
berry to succeed. They are always in
Il hurry To ascertain the contents of
their stolen purses. and this often
leads 10 their capture.
The women are constantly invcnting
new tricks in the art Of stealing. In
"A large store, the other day, woman
was detected who carried baby OF
eighteen or twenty months old on her
left arm, with its legs and feet hang
ing down in such way as to conceal
her work with her right hand. At the
opportunc moment she lightly ticklcd
the child's legs with her left hand while
with her right she rummagcd in the
pockct'of the lady customers. If the
person whose pocket she was picking
felt touch and turned upon her, she
gave the baby II few taps. saying:
keep your feet still; YOU will soil
madamc's dress, which was sufficient
10 avert all suspicion. A new kind
of pickpockct was lately discovered.
1t was a boy. hardly ten years old,
captured ut an omnibus station. With
his hands in his ovcrcoat pockets he
dcspoi'cd victim after victim, and if
any ol them were inclined to suspect
him they were treasured by his inof-
fcnSive attitude. A. for pockets. the
overcoat had oaly the exterior OPEN
ings, and the boy could thrust his hands
among the crowd without taking them
out of what appeared to be his pockets"
-tHicdgO Times.